YSRCP Slams TDP Wasting Money On Personal Luxuries

The YSR Congress took strong objection to the extravagant expenditure being planned by the TDP government on the upcoming trip of Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao to various countries at a time when it was falling short of funds for welfare schemes.

"He is slated to visit the African nation of Cameroon for the Commonwealth Countries' Parliamentary Conference, but has included in his itinerary visits to many other nations in the name of study tour, causing loss to the exchequer," Party spokesperson Ambati Rambabu told reporters on Sunday.

As the Presiding Officer, the Speaker was supposed to visit the Cameroon Conference slated for next month, but he had included pre- and post-conference tours to Mauritius, Kenya and South Africa for reasons beyond any reasonable comprehension, as the countries did not have any vibrant democracy matching that of India, Rambabu alleged.

"The state is facing a financial crunch and the efforts to build a new capital have become a Herculean task, and the Government is lavishly spending on ministers in the form of allowances, perks, tours and renovations," he lamented.

This apart, the Speaker was sanctioned Rs 28 lakhs for a new car without any account being given of the vehicle of the previous Speaker, and the Finance Minister was sanctioned a sum of Rs 80 lakhs of which Rs 4 lakhs were spent on buying a TV, which showed the scale of extravagant spending the State was involved in, Rambabu said.

The Chief Minister, who had set up a hundi at his chamber to collect money for building a new capital, had spent a fortune to renovate his temporary chamber, the YSR Congress spokesperson alleged.

"All this is tax payers' money, and should be accounted for. We demand that the State observe austerity measures as it has been scaling down welfare schemes upon the pretext of lack of funds. The Speaker should confine himself to the actual programme, and leave out of his tour other countries," he said. (INN)